A/N: I read the reviews and some of you love the interviews and some of you are confused by them. For the record, the part with Dr. Brown…I mean Dreyfus, was in the past. Hope I don't lose you here. A lot of this is back story brought to you by interviews. Again, thank you for reading.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

The camera opens on Chuck sitting in the interview chair. The producer asks a question. "So that was the first time you met Sarah?"

"Yes," Chuck replied, he shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "I mean, I could have met her years earlier…"

The producer speaks. "Will you tell us about that?"

Chuck nods. He begins to speak, takes a deep breath, looks at the camera, and shakes his head. "So, first off, I have anxiety, medically diagnosed, and my brain tells me a lot of things."

Chuck is silent for a second and continues. "So…."

}o{

Several years ago, the morning of the premier of Expendables: Ladies Night

Chuck picked up his ringing phone, grinning. "Hey, Superstar! Ready for your big night?"

"Chuck," came Zondra's voice, very somber. "I need a huge favor."

"What's wrong?" Chuck asked, turning serious.

"You know Pete broke up with me last week," Zondra began.

"Yeah," Chuck replied. "I really thought he was a good one."

"I mean, I did too, but, he couldn't handle my lifestyle," Zondra answered.

"You make it sound like you swing from chandeliers, drunk, every other night," Chuck quipped.

"Yeah, that's only on the third Friday when there's a waning moon," Zondra replied. "Apparently not being in contact for a few days while I'm at a shoot is not something he can handle. I mean, I don't know how often I'll have these kind of opportunities….I'm losing the plot of this phone call."

"So, a normal conversation between us," Chuck quipped.

"Long story short, he thought going with me to the premier was a bad idea, so…I need you."

"You need me to…what?" Chuck asked, slightly terrified. "Find you a date for tonight?"

"Chuck, please, I know you hate this stuff, but I need someone to go to this event with," Zondra began.

"And it will look like we're together," Chuck pointed out.

"Maybe, but if I go alone…it will look a certain way and you know how this industry is."

Chuck was silent for a moment. "Okay, but we do have a problem."

"Chuck, you are the best," Zondra said, relief flooding out of her voice. "As for something to wear, get over here. The studio is going to get you something, they're paying for it."

"Are they paying for it, or are you?"

Zondra was silent for a moment. "A friend is doing me a favor, okay, and not some sick favor. Roan is the one who told me I should bring you."

"Why not take Roan?" Chuck asked.

He heard her chuckle. "He's a bit older, I'm not going for the 'young scarlet dating the older man' look."

"So you're going for the 'nerd with anxiety' look," Chuck replied. There was silence. "So…not funny?"

"Chuck, do we have to do this right now?" Zondra asked. "You are amazing and someone is going to be the luckiest woman in the world to be with you. If you want to know the truth, you're gonna be a piece of arm candy."

"Okay, sold," Chuck told her, making her laugh.

}o{

"Stop, you look fine," Zondra told him. He was adjusting the bow tie on his tux, feeling very out of place.

"I don't feel like I belong," Chuck muttered softly. "I mean you look…wow, Zondra, just…."

Zondra couldn't stop the side of her mouth pulling into a smile if her life depended on it. He might just be a friend, but his compliments, they were sincere. That she knew. "Okay, so, I need to go talk to Sarah, wanna come with?"

"Uh, no," Chuck replied. "My job tonight, is to be your arm candy and if I go over there to meet her…."

Zondra shook her head and studied her friend for a second. "Chuck, I need you to know something." Chuck turned to her. "You are an amazing man, and when you are in your element at work you are unbelievable, the confidence you have…it's…it's a sight to behold. When you're with people you know and trust, you are so much fun. I know the struggles you have, I know that it's not your fault and it's your brain betraying you, but I wish you didn't have to fight that monster, because people miss out on a hell of a guy."

"Thanks, Z," he said softly. "But, let's be real, even if I didn't have anxiety, that's…that's…Sarah 'Freakin' Walker."

"She puts her pants on one leg at a time, just like everyone else," Zondra told him.

"Pretty sure she just snaps her fingers, and they magically dress themselves on her," he drawled, making Zondra laugh. "Go on, do your thing."

"Okay," she said, nodding at him. She turned and walked over to Sarah. She was with someone, who Chuck had to admit filled out his suit very well. But what else would you expect, Sarah to be with someone who was just…average? She was a star. Chuck watched as Sarah seemed legitimately happy to see Zondra. Sarah pulled Zondra into a huge hug and kissed her cheek. The two talked, and Chuck turned away, feeling a bit like a stalker.

"Chuck Bartowski?" he heard asked beside him. Chuck turned and saw a woman there he didn't recognize. She held her hand out. "Julie Watt, Podcast Magazine: Beyond the Microphone."

"Hey, Julie," Chuck replied, grinning at her. "Never put the face with the articles, pleasure to meet you."

"So, why is one of the biggest up and comers in the podcast game at this premier?"

"I'm here with Zondra," Chuck replied. "We've known each other since college. She's one of my closest friends and tonight she was kind enough to let me join her."

"I've heard some rumors," Julie said softly, looking around. "Care to address them?"

"Wh-what rumors?" Chuck asked, looking worried. Julie smiled at him. "We're not together."

Julie shook her head. "No, not that nonsense, the rumors that a new podcast is coming from the CIA Network. One with Zondra, and maybe someone else?"

"Ohhh," Chuck said, grinning, putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels. "I see." Julie grinned at him.

Across the way, Sarah was watching Chuck and Julie. "Seems your date is being a bit of a player," she said softly to Zondra.

"He's not my date," Zondra replied. Sarah nodded, and looked away. "I'm not the only one here with a friend."

"You two seem more than friendly sometimes, just saying," Sarah replied, grinning at Zondra. "Besides, Mark needed cheering up. His boyfriend broke up with him last week."

"Oh, no, I liked Billy," Zondra said, frowning. She noticed the look on Sarah's face and turned to look at Chuck and Julie talking. "Something wrong?"

"You know I've done my best to learn all the reporters so I can have an idea of what they might ask, to be prepared." Zondra nodded. "That's a podcast reporter."

"And Chuck makes podcasts," Zondra replied. She lowered her voice. "And maybe he has a new podcast coming out with someone you know."

"So he's here to cash in?" Sarah asked, her eyes wide.

"No, Sarah," Zondra told her. "He's here to support me, that's it. He has told me his job is to be my arm candy. And he only said that because I told him that's what he was tonight."

"Sorry, I just get…"

"Hey," Zondra said softly, laying her hand on her friend's bicep. "I get it. This industry is dog eat dog, and you have to be careful, but he's a good one." She glanced back at him. "And looks good in a suit."

"He does," Sarah agreed.

}o{

The footage cuts to Sarah sitting in the interview chair. The producer speaks. "So you knew about Chuck Bartowski before you met him."

"I did," Sarah admitted, a coy smile on her face. "I couldn't believe some of the stuff I heard, because it was all so…impossible. No one is that good of a guy. No one…except him."

The producer speaks. "Why didn't you approach him then?"

Sarah sat there a second, in thought. "This industry can be…tough. Especially on women. There were two possibilities with Chuck. Either he wasn't what he was around Zondra, or he was, and how would someone like that be with me who is in this industry. We work long hours, sometimes for weeks on end. It's a very quid pro quo industry, and while I have never quided, or quoed, that stuff….hearing about it…"

The producer speaks. "It wears on you." Sarah nodded. "Wait, how did you know about his anxiety?" Sarah pushed her tongue into her bottom lip, and looked away from the camera. The look on her face screamed she had been caught.

"It's possible…okay, I liked to listen to Beach Sessions."

The producer speaks. "Chuck's first podcast." Sarah nodded. "So you knew who he was?"

"I did," Sarah admitted. "Funny enough it was the episode that Julie was talking to him about, the one he did with Brandon Marshall and mental health and Chuck openly talked about his struggles with anxiety as Brandon talked about his Borderline Personality Disorder."

There is silence for a few seconds and the producer spoke. "Am I understanding you right? You were interested in Chuck then, but didn't approach him because of his anxiety?"

Sarah frowned. "The way you put that sounds like I didn't because I didn't want to deal with someone with anxiety, and that is certainly not true." She grinned. "Obviously I am now." She was silent a second. "I thought my schedule, at that time would be too much for him. I thought it would hurt him, and I thought too much of him to do that to him…no matter how good he looked in the tux that night."

The producer speaks. "So you've been attracted to him for a while?" Sarah nodded. "Do you regret it, not approaching him then?"

Sarah sat back, thinking. "No, I don't think so," Sarah replied. "I think we both had to be in a place, well, where we were, for us to realize we were worth the risk, and worth fighting for." She grinned. "But I will say, I did make sure and get a picture someone snapped at him at that premier."

The producer chuckles and then speaks. "So you thought he looked good."

Sarah grinned. "As Chuck has taught me about pop culture, I think he would appreciate what I'm about to say." She chuckled. "As three great poet laureates from Texas said, 'Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man."

}o{

"So you're not going to tell me," Julie said, grinning at Chuck.

"Tell you what," Chuck replied, as Zondra came up to him. "How about I promise you an exclusive on the next podcast we launch, I just can't do it tonight, tonight is her night."

"Hell of a friend you have," Julie told Zondra.

"Don't I know it," Zondra told Julie. Julie thanked them both and walked away. Chuck ducked his head from Zondra's comment, and looked away, a touch embarrassed. He looked over and saw Sarah whisper something into her date's ear. Her date turned to her and gave her a look that screamed familiarity and a close bond. Sarah kissed him gently on the cheek and hugged him.

"Looks like she loves that guy," Chuck said softly.

"Yeah, she'd do just about anything for him," Zondra agreed, looking over at Sarah and Mark.

He stood there. He was one part a little hurt, one part happy. He was glad Sarah had someone in her life. He wasn't going to lie, he kinda wished he could be that someone, but what would someone like Sarah Walker want with someone like Chuck Bartowski? She wouldn't, and he had to accept that.

"Good for her," Chuck said. "I'm always happy when those that bring us joy get to have their own joy."

Zondra started to say something, but was interrupted. They were being told it was time to go inside. "Come on, I'm excited to see myself on the big screen."

"You live through this, right?" Chuck asked.

"Spoooillllersssssss," Zondra said in a sing-song voice, making him laugh. Chuck couldn't help but watch Sarah, her height making her stand out over everyone else. "I think you'll enjoy it."

"Pffft, I know I will," Chuck replied. "Sarah survives, right?"

Zondra chuckled. "Yes, Chuck, we both do."

"Good," Chuck said. Zondra shook her head and led him to their seats.

A/N: Huh…well.

Next time:

The producer speaks. "I feel like we're missing something. I have to believe Chuck has found women attractive before. What drew him to Sarah like he was drawn?"

Ellie sat there a second, quiet. "Molly."

*turns to the camera and sips tea* You KNEW I would work Molly in some way. But this is a little different than you're use to. Come back next time. Reviews are always appreciated. Tell those you love, you love them. Make it weird.